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Dozens of education-related bills already filed at the Capitol

New legislative sessions always produce a flurry of bills. The ones related to education this year range from the minor to the massive.

One would allow Rainy River community college to borrow money for a tuck-pointing project; another would let districts start their next two school years before Labor Day.

Some of the bigger-ticket items include establishing an early childhood program for at-risk four-year olds.

An effort to increase the reimbursement rate for free and reduced lunches by three cents a meal seems small, but it could add up to thousands of dollars for some districts.

Another proposal that's just 67 words long would have huge ramifications, if enacted: It would end Minnesota's participation in the federal No Child Left Behind law.

The bill getting the most attention so far is House File 2, the proposal being called the "new Minnesota Miracle." It would completely overhaul the way the state funds schools - changing everything from the amount of money the state sends schools for each student, to the way the state counts students in the first place.

A sample of education-related measures that have already been introduced this legislative session: